I have an unusual problem

How do you shut the blasted thing off?

Two quick ways.
1. Ctl, Alt, Del and lower right corner of screen will show shutdown.
2. Touch power off button on computer and it will close windows and shut down

Also, open the charms menu (mouse to the top or bottom right of the screen), go Settings, and then click the power symbol for options.

It's that complicated? I downloaded a Windows 7 ap for shutting it down. Good grief.

Try Add Cascading Menu for Restart, Shut Down... It's makes things a little easier, if you're in the 'normal' desktop.

You can also easily make a shortcut to the Start Menu or to your desktop or your taskbar, wherever you prefer them to have at hand. I have them in the Start Menu at two clicks. See image:



This is how to do it (very easy): Trick: Create Shutdown or Restart buttons on your desktop or taskbar - Windows 8 Forums

here's the link for the free Shutdown gadget. It is the ninth one on the list:

Desktop gadgets - Microsoft Windows